Hormones
by MrMrsBranson
Summary: Baby themed vignettes, not necessarily chapters in order.
1. First trimester

_**First trimester**_

Sybil was panting, her chest heaving, and she'd lost count by then. Tom's sweaty face was slick and pressed between her breasts, lips working lazy kisses there somewhere, his hair falling desperately on her shining body. She closed her eyes, exhaustion preventing her from the smile her body ached to give him. _Aching_, that was her feeling then. Her pulse was throbbing in her fingertips, in her neck, her mind, her heartbeat undoubtedly in his ears. She trailed her fingertips lightly over his shoulder blade, but only for an instant before her head rocked back to the floor, hanging to the side as she looked at his outstretched hand on the carpet.

She bent forward one more time just to sneak a kiss into his damp hair. The motion made Tom nuzzle his nose further, hand skating back across the carpet to brush a thumb over her nipple, only enough to trip it into arousal again.

Sybil moaned, touching her sensitive fingertips to his back.

This was _exhausting._ Her body was beginning to feel used and tasted and worked, all delicious and satisfied and warm. Sybil couldn't hide her smile and Tom couldn't stop kissing and hugging her initially. When they'd found out about the baby just a few days ago, they were both over the moon. All the way home, they just shrugged and laughed, trying to count back or figure out where they skipped a step somewhere. How maybe a little slip up lead to this _crazy_ life change suddenly. He squeezed her hand, turning her fingers red and sticky with their shared warmth, the entire walk home. She could shed tears at how adorable, how affected he was then, the way he got so touchy, dragging her into bed just to wrap his warm body around hers and let his face rest into her hair, after he'd pulled the elastic out of it. She couldn't imagine anyone ever reacting the way he did in the history of new fathers, and she didn't know how she ever thought she could share this moment with anyone else.

There was a dramatic shift when she made her first midwife appointment and set the bottle of prenatal vitamins on the counter before leafing through the post.

She was squinting at the electric bill when he reached into the fridge, eying her carefully as she spoke and gestured toward the bottle. "I didn't know you could just buy those at the shops, thought you had to have a prescription… I asked the nurse on the phone and she said just to pick up a bottle." She looked up, glasses sliding down her nose a little over her smile. "So that's the first baby expense. Guess its official." She crinkled her nose over the same smile and looked back to the sheet of paper in her hands.

He heaved a big sigh and was gently holding her up against the wall in two strides, his warm lips over hers, nose pressing against the frame of her glasses. She pulled his face against hers hard, thumbs digging into his cheeks, fingers tugging at his ears. She turned slightly to pull her lips from under his. Her brow was trying to make sense of his actions.

He couldn't help it. He didn't even know how to tell her what he was doing. _It's official?_ That made her irresistible. They _made_ something. His fingers had to prove it to her, to him, had to make this more _official._ He trailed one finger up the side of her neck and tipped her chin up to his for another slow kiss, deep and wet and warm.

And that day made them busy people, Tom constantly pressing her into the walls, the floors, the cushions, the mattresses of their flat. His mouth gave her everything, gentle and passionate, desperate and thankful. It was the closest he could get to wrapping his mind around it, loving her so intensely in the only thank you he could imagine. How do you say thank you to someone carrying your baby… all of a sudden? Something they didn't plan. They knew it was coming eventually, maybe a year in the future. She had the sweetest look on her face in the past when she talked about kids one day, how she couldn't imagine having them with anyone but him, how he made everything seem like it was doable, meant to be done together.

"You're going to get me pregnant again," she said, her voice strained as she reached her balled fists behind her, stretching and arching her back. Her breasts pushed upward, raising his body with hers.

He groaned. Was she serious right now, her body tempting him like this?

"Our kids are going to pretty close in age," Tom whispered, keeping them in their shell on the living room carpet between the coffee table and the sofa. "I'll never be able to help myself if you keep doing stuff like this."

"Like what?" she said, sly smile on her face, stretching another way and arching her hips toward his. "I'm not… Not totally sure…"

He sighed, palms running up her thighs and cupping her bottom, dropping a kiss against her flat abdomen. Her sigh matched his as she raised her hands to cover her breasts, pushing them up and outward. His gaze fixed there, before watching her eyes flutter closed.

He felt the surge of want creeping up his spine. Before he took her again, he lowered his lips to each of her eyelids. If there was one thing this baby needed…

_Have her eyes,_ he thought, breathing deeply and rising over her again.


	2. Second trimester

I have a bunch of these written out already, so I apologize for posting more than one today. I was unsure at first if I wanted these to be set in 1920 or modern day. I guess the first one could be set whenever you wanted it to be, but this one is definitely set now.

* * *

Second trimester

There had been a lot of moments, especially in the last few months of his life, where it felt like time would cease for a while. That day in October had been one of those times.

It was an eventless day up until that afternoon. They had both slept until the alarm went off, Sybil groggy and cranky from sleep as she chided him for stealing the duvet throughout the night. He mumbled an apology and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. The room was still dark at six-something in the morning, too dark for either of them to open their eyes fully. Instead, he blindly pulled her to him to rest his arm loosely around her shoulders.

Just like everyday, he dropped a kiss onto the top of her hair, whispering _Morning_ in the deepest voice; everyday she hummed a wordless greeting back, squeezing the hand hanging off of her shoulders. It was such a routine, one they would barely remember as the workday stretched on.

And that's the way September 14th had started. It rained outside in that ugly, biting way it did in the later part of autumn. The car was making a weird noise that made them both groan on their way to work – him dropping her off at the hospital, before making his way to the newspaper where he now worked.

But all of that was about as far away as it could get. He couldn't comprehend it being a time by the clock, it was just _now_ in his mind, one of the days they'd been waiting for, for months. Her hand gripped his. As he looked down, he watched his skin blanch red and white as her hand moved against his own, tugging and pulling silently.

As excited as he was (and what a stale word that was for this situation), he was in a frozen state. He eyes were just focusing, without the thought to crack a smile; Sybil looked the same way when they looked at each other.

The room was cold and silver and bright, just like they both had pictured it. Just like the other rooms they had been in before. It always seemed too sterile for happy memories to happen in.

When the muffled sound filled the room, Sybil's hand tightened around his and he moved closer to her with shuffling feet. He saw Sybil's chest float in relief as he licked his lips.

The tech smiled. "I guess you both know what that is," she said quietly, noticing their reactions. "That's your baby's heartbeat. It's a good one. Strong, healthy…"

Sybil had briefly mentioned her fear about an ultrasound appointment, the possibility of missing that pounding noise and leaving empty. She had a lot of fears, terrible dreams about bad things happening to the baby; the doctor had told them it was common and promised her that many women go through this. She'd wave them away with her hand while she explained them to him. He did his best to reassure her, but the only cure was that beautiful sound, so _loud_, that they heard. Her shoulders sank considerably and he felt like he should sit down.

"Yep, that's a good beat. Good heart."

He held onto her hand as he slowly lowered himself into the plastic seat next to her. She turned her head to him briefly, flashing him a smile with those happy, damp eyes. He loved her like that, the first glimpse of a mother, with her t-shirt rolled up and her belly exposed and the faintest sign of a bump beginning to develop.

He smiled back, willing himself to man up. Just because she's beautiful, and you're about to have your world turned upside down and your life is fecking perfect, that doesn't mean you have to start falling apart.

"There you go, guys, there's your baby," the woman said, her fingernails clicking against the screen and sweeping across to trace the blurry figure.

His thoughts fell away from him when Sybil sucked in a loud breath, drawing the back of her hand over her mouth. She tightened her grip on Tom's hand, squeezing twice and holding firm. He squinted, in awe while dropping his chin to her shoulder and watching the screen. He opened his mouth to say something, but was at a loss for words.

"And you wanted to know the sex, you said..."

"Yeah," they both choked together. Sybil's voice was clogged with tears, unsurprisingly, but his own voice shocked him. _Man up._ They laughed a little at themselves, anxiously looking at each other and back to the woman next to the screen.

She worked the wand over Sybil and smiled brightly, tapping the screen.

She opened her mouth, "Right there —"

"Girl," Tom said out loud, almost jumping as he startled himself. He laughed nervously, eyes darting between Sybil and the screen.

"Girl?" Sybil asked. She sat up on her elbows and tried to wipe away her eyes, looking at Tom then back to the screen. The woman laughed lightly as she re-positioned the wand.

Tom swallowed. _Man. Up._ "Girl, right?"

She laughed again, drawing a little circle over the outline of the baby. "Yep. You have a very active little girl. Congratulations, you guys."

Yeah, time was _nothing_ that day. The last of his concerns.

The woman was saying something else, but Tom was trying to figure out the best way to maneuver himself from the chair to hugging his wife and never letting her go. The tech's words were muffled in their ears as Tom leaned forward and held her face with his hand; elbow bent on her chest, and pulled her to him. He could hear her, that laugh that shed tears; it was the same noise the day they found out about their baby. Their _daughter. Their little girl._

The tech patted Sybil's knee before quietly removing herself from the room. He barely noticed. He was laughing, kind of, or maybe just breathing with a big smile on his face. His nose pressed into the skin of her cheek, feeling her tears on his face.

His eyes burned. It was bound to happen.

"_Sybil_," he croaked against her hair, his fingers tangling in her curls and pulling her close.

"I know, I know," she said, edging back to cradle his face in her hand, the other wrapped around the wrist that held her. Her eyes were absolutely awash with tears and she sniffed loudly. He laughed; she did, too. "You were right."

"Yeah," Tom said, his voice cracking into a sigh. "Little girl."

She nodded, her fingers spreading back into the hair behind his ears and scratching lightly. Only a few months ago, it was just the two of them.

"You're officially outnumbered," she whispered, as he touched his forehead to hers.

They both looked down and chuckled breathlessly.

"That's okay," he said with a smile.


	3. Second trimester (2)

Second Trimester

She had mentioned, multiple times, that she wanted both of them to be there the first time the baby kicked.

"I just really want you to feel it _right_ after I do, Tom," she said, standing next to him in the kitchen.

He smirked, continuing to drag the towel across dishes that were already dry. "I do, too. But at least we know you'll be there. Ninety-nine percent chance, anyway."

She scrunched her nose at him. "That… doesn't even make sense."

"Yeah, you're right," he said with a chuckle. "Really, though, we work, like, two minutes down the road. We live together. We've got good odds."

She smiled. "Good odds."

He agreed, and not long after had rested an arm around her shoulders and fallen asleep with her on the couch.

A few Sunday's later; Tom's eyes were starting to do the thing where they seemed to melt into the word document he'd been staring at for the past couple of hours, until Sybil suddenly jerked and gripped the arm of the couch she was sitting on.

"What?" he mumbled, dry lips sticking together. He cleared his throat. "What is it, love?"

A funny smiled stretched across her face, as if she was skeptical. "Give me your hand," she whispered, her gaze focusing on their wedding picture on the wall, and her palm turned up towards him.

It clicked. "Really?" he asked, maneuvering himself out of the armchair and onto the sofa next to her.

She waited a beat, her smile growing wider. "Think so. Come here," she said, cocking her head to the side and taking his hand.

She hesitated again, her grin growing even more as she glanced up at him.

"Come on, share," he insisted quietly, laughing as he moved closer. She took his hand in both of hers and pressed into the swell that seemed to be growing everyday.

"Wait for it," she said, her thumb moving slightly over the back of his hand as they both sat in silence.

He edged closer to her until their arms bumped together.

"Come on, baby," she whispered, tapping a finger lightly on her stomach. "Give Daddy a kick."

His heart warmed at the word as he struggled to move even closer to her. She looked up in time to catch the smile moving across his face.

They both jumped suddenly, Tom gasping and gaping at her with an open mouth and wide eyes.

Sybil beamed. "Did you feel it?"

"Yeah!" Tom said excitedly, moving his hand around the surface of her belly. "Oh my, oh — Make her do it again!"

Sybil laughed aloud, tossing her head back and letting the curls fall into a trail down her shoulder. "I can't make it happen; baby works on its own time."

They sat in silence and waited for another. The baby delivered.

His eyes lit up as he turned toward her quickly again. "Holy shit!"

She giggled, tongue stuck between her teeth. "I know, I know," she said, her voice becoming more hushed.

Another kick.

Tom sighed, leaning forward again and positioning his hands. "Damn, look at her go."

Sybil pursed her lips into a happy smile. "Convinced it's a girl?"

His eyes didn't move from their hands. "She's a girl, I'd put money on it," he said. His thumbs stroked the fabric of her shirt. "Okay, baby, kick if you're a girl."

They waited, and of course it came.

"See!" he exclaimed, pleased with himself.

She shook her head. "Natural jokester. Just good comedic timing."

Tom smiled, his heart swelling and cheeks burning. When the movement had stalled and quieted for the time being, he removed his hands from her tummy and logged off his computer.

"What are you doing?" she asked with a questioning smile.

"Come on," he said, let's go take a nap, the three of us."

She smiled up at him.

"Come on, slowpoke."

She reached a hand up into his palm and let him help her out of the chair. He immediately pulled her towards him, pressing a kiss onto the top of her head as she closed her eyes.


	4. Third Trimester

Third Trimester

Her head was propped up on the arm of the couch, her feet resting in his lap as he massaged them. She closed her eyes blissfully, moaning as his hands ran smoothly over her swollen skin.

"God, that feels amazing, Tom," she sighed, scratching the broad side of her belly. "They're so sore."

"They're _huge_, it's crazy," Tom said, as if in amazement, with a laugh. "Have you seen them?"

"Please, I can't see anything below me anymore," she said. "I can't even see what you're doing. Hold one up for me, let me see."

He smirked and lifted one of her feet into the air delicately. He grabbed her ankle and rubbed it between his thumb and fingers. He stole a kiss to the side of her calf as she furrowed her brow.

"Ugh, put it away," she murmured, shooing it away with her hand.

He laughed and eased it back onto the cushion in his lap, continuing the massage over her joints and finally running his hands over her calves slowly.

She flung an arm over her eyes. "I'm huge all over. Everywhere. Expanding and swelling —"

"Shut up, you're pretty."

"I'm blowing up."

"I'll do this everyday if I have to," Tom said with a smile, turning to curl up next to her on the couch.

"Do what?"

"Tell you how pretty you are and how great you look all the time," Tom shrugged, fitting his arm across her. "Tell you how gorgeous I think you are." He smiled suggestively and she scoffed.

"Oh, you're too good to me," she sighed heavily. "And just stupid to think you can fit next to me on the couch."

She yelped and laughed as he tried to fit into the space at her side, nearly pushing her off.

"Tom!"

"We'll make it work, somehow — here," he laughed as he moved some more, grabbing her hips to steady her on the couch. "Hold on."

She shook her head in a fit of giggles. "It's not worth it. I'm supposed to be comfortable, damnit. I'm too fat for this."

He waved his hands. "Nope. Nope." He sat up and tried to scoop her, ultimately pulling her up and into his lap. "There. Perfect."

"Let me know when you lose the feeling in your legs."

He pushed his nose into the crook of her neck and grinned. He kissed her there quickly, and continued. "This couch is a good size, you're just a whiner."

She twisted her head around to look at him, pressing her lips against his lightly. "You get all kinds of husband points."

He moved his face further into her warm skin, smiling broadly.


End file.
